A bomb alert was reported on a Ryanair flight, a Boeing 737, from Poland to Greece on Sunday (January 22) with more than 190 people on board. Officials told news agency AFP that Greek warplanes scrambled to escort the flight after the alert was reported to authorities. The source added that two F-16 jets were dispatched to escort the flight from Katowice to Athens, as it entered Greek airspace from North Macedonia, the officials added.
They also said the aircraft had earlier been escorted by Hungarian warplanes.
The aircraft landed at an isolated location at the Athens International Airport shortly before 16.00 GMT (9.30 pm IST), after a delay of nearly 2.5 hours, and was under inspection by a bomb disposal team.
“The passengers have disembarked and are being inspected. There were 190 people on board including the crew. The plane will be checked after the passengers,” Greek police spokesperson Constantia Dimoglidou told AFP on Sunday
It is not yet clear who made the bomb threat and the police spokesperson pointed out that the pilot informed the Athens control tower (about the alert).
(With inputs from agencies)
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